FIFTH DISTRICT RACE: Katherine Clark calls on Congress to take action on gun control, endorsed by Melrose officials

Katherine Clark vowed to fight in Congress for commonsense gun control reforms, including reinstating the assault weapons ban, closing the gun show loophole and instituting universal background checks.

Wicked Local

Writer

Posted Sep. 27, 2013 at 12:01 AM
Updated Sep 27, 2013 at 4:35 PM

Posted Sep. 27, 2013 at 12:01 AM
Updated Sep 27, 2013 at 4:35 PM

Fifth Congressional District

» Social News

Katherine Clark vowed to fight in Congress for commonsense gun control reforms, including reinstating the assault weapons ban, closing the gun show loophole and instituting universal background checks.

She supports President Barack Obama’s call for a renewed focus to get these important protections passed.

“President Obama is absolutely right that men, women and children are dying from gun violence without the headlines,” said Clark, who has made reducing the epidemic of gun violence a key part of her Pledge to Women and Families. “We have to pull together and demand change in Washington, because we cannot continue to let gun violence kill eight children every day.”

At every turn, Republicans in Congress have blocked President Obama’s proposals to get weapons made for war off of our local streets and put up stronger barriers to keep guns out of the hands of criminals. Meanwhile, more than 8,000 Americans have been killed from gun violence since the Newtown tragedies, with the Brady Campaign estimating that eight children are killed every day.

“It’s incredibly disappointing that extremist Republicans continue to bow to the National Rifle Association while children die every day from gun violence,” Clark said. “It’s unbelievable that while children are dying every day from gun violence Congress cannot even pass the most basic gun control reform supported by more than eighty percent of Americans: universal background checks.”

Republicans continue to follow the lead of a national organization that decided after the Newtown tragedy that more guns should be in our schools and more guns should be around our kids. More than eight-in-10 Americans want universal background checks, and a majority of Americans favor bans on assault weapons and high-capacity magazine clips.

In Congress, Clark is committed to getting these commonsense reforms passed to keep our families and our communities safer.

“This is a public health threat to our children. If this were any other type of public health threat, we as a nation would respond with an overwhelming reaction,” Clark said. “We need to have that same reaction to get these measures in place and we have to demand action out of our Congress.”

Clark has spent her entire career standing up for women and families and knows what it takes to beat the NRA.

While she was an attorney in Colorado, the NRA came into the state to expand concealed weapons permits and pass a “Make My Day” law, similar to the “Stand Your Ground” laws on the books in about 30 states.

Clark built a coalition of law enforcement, district attorneys, victim advocates and others to successfully defeat the NRA. Clark knows it’s time to do the same in Congress.

“The time is now to take action on gun control to keep weapons out of the hands of the wrong people and prevent more senseless gun violence,” Clark said. “Progress can’t wait any longer on sensible gun safety measures, because none of us want to live in a country where our children are dying every day from guns.”

Page 2 of 2 - Clark also earned the unanimous endorsement of the Melrose Democratic City Committee.

“Katherine has been such an important Democratic leader in our city and on our city committee,” said Jean Gorman, chair of the Melrose Democratic City Committee. “We voted unanimously endorse her because we know she represents the values and goals of our community: standing up for women’s rights, investing in early education, and increasing the minimum wage.”

Clark’s spent more than decade serving Melrose, first on the Melrose School Committee and then as a state representative and state senator.

She supported full-day kindergarten in Melrose elementary schools, advocated for fairness in state aid to local schools, secured state funding for the city’s roads and bridges and has worked with Melrose community organizations like the Melrose Alliance Against Violence.

In Congress, Clark will fight for progress on measures to improve local communities like restoring budget cuts from the sequester that are damaging programs like Head Start, addressing climate change, and passing important gun safety reforms.

“I’m so grateful to have my friends and colleagues in Melrose behind me as I run for Congress,” Clark said. “I’ve worked for years to make Melrose a better place for our families, and in Congress I’ll stand up for families across the 24 cities and towns in the Fifth Congressional District.”

Clark has been endorsed by EMILY’s List, the Women's Campaign Fund, Attorney General Martha Coakley, Melrose Mayor Robert Dolan, State Rep. Marjorie Decker, D-Cambridge, and State Rep. Paul Brodeur, D-Melrose.

She also has the backing of the Winchester Democratic Town Committee, APWU Local 100, IBEW Local 2222, IBEW Local 2321, the United Steelworkers Union Local 12012, Ironworkers Local 7, NAGE/IBPO/SEIU Local 5000, Teamsters Local 25 and the IBEW Local 123.